“Exceptional Ruby” Video and Beta eBook!

Two weeks ago at Magic Ruby in Orlando I delivered a talk called “Exceptional Ruby”, about working with exceptions and failures in Ruby.  People seemed to like it.

I have two related announcements today:

  1. A self-made video of the talk is now available; and
  2. I am releasing a short eBook based on the talk.

Here’s the video. This is a slightly earlier version than the one I gave at Magic Ruby, but it’s largely identical.

The eBook covers the material in the talk and adds a bunch more. I’ve revised and expanded the code samples and exposition, and added completely new sections that I didn’t have time to cover in the talk. It’s not polished yet, but most of the content is in place. Today, in the spirit of “release early, release often”, I’m opening up a public beta. If you want to get an early look at the book — and have the opportunity to contribute feedback before it gets finalized sign up now!

Sorry, this is not a free beta. But beta readers will get an early look, free updates as I work on finishing up the book, and if you contribute a suggestion that makes it into the final version, you’ll get credit in the acknowledgements. And, of course, you’ll get a copy of the final version as soon as it is released.

UPDATE: The book is now finished!

Here’s a little bit more about what you’ll find in the book:

  • A detailed look at the lifecycle of an exception, including some things you may not have known about.
  • Overriding Kernel#raise for fun and profit.
  • Alternatives to exceptions, for when “fail fast” isn’t the right answer.
  • Avoiding failure cascades with the Barricade and Circuit Breaker patterns.
  • 5 questions to ask before raising an exception.
  • Exception safety testing for critical methods.
  • And much, much more…

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